Episode 7: Welcome Toby Young

"Toby Young is a really badass food critic in England. he's going to piss off a lot of people." -Fabio

I love that he is so unbelievably quotable!

Tonight, feared British author and food critic Toby Young made his first appearance on Top Chef. After a dessert-themed, Diet-Dr.Pepper-sponsored Quickfire, Tom sat down with the cheftestants. His eloquent-as-always explanation of the next challenge: "We want him to come to know your food first, so for this challenge, we are judging blind. You'll be cooking for the judges plus a group of foodies and food critics. Just cook something that shows who you are and what you're capable of as a chef." In other words: step it up and impress us. Oh, and p.s., two chefs will be sent home after the challenge.

Cheftestants are split into two groups to prepare family-style dishes of their choice. Each chef seemed quite confident in their selection. Jamie decided to prepare scallops again, in order to "prove to the judges I knew what I was doing," she said, referring to last episode's critique of her "swans-a-swimming" dish. Fabio retorts, "All she does is scallops. This is Top Chef, not Top Scallop!" I do love a good scallop, and, yes, I do <3 Jamie, but I, confessed scallop-and-Jamie fan, found myself instant messaging a friend with, "Jamie's cooking scallops... again..."

"Hey, sixth time's the charm," he replied. And, though I don't think it was quite the sixth, her scallops with fennel and garlic pureewere a charm! Jamie was finally victorious in this week's challenge, sharing the top-three spotlight with Ariane (talk about a reprieve, she is on fire!) and Stefan.

In the end, both Melissa and Eugene were sent packing. I was sad to see Melissa go -- her heart always seemed in the right place but played it a little too safe. Eugene was one of my early picks to win the whole competition (and was a member of my ill-fated Top Cheffantasy team), but his "creativity" ended up being a little too much for the competition. Also, the presentation of the fried red snapper completely freaked me out.

Toby Young is an interesting addition to the show; the cheftestants are certainly rattled. He started off with a bang, throwing the ultimate insult at Melissa's fish tacos: "They taste a bit like cat food." It'll be interesting to see what happens next, as I feel like he'll unapologetically pick favorites.

Also interesting: what do you think about Leah? She came across as talented but average in the beginning, but is making a name for herself and becoming a key player in the game with her cool, confident attitude. I'm going to have to amend my fantasy team.

Posted by Kristen Hawley

Kristen Hawley, freelance food writer and full-time food-lover, spent her youth subsisting on fast food and quick-service restaurants. Her introduction to the art of food occurred while living off Arthur Avenue, a famed Little Italy section of New York's Bronx borough. Kristen now makes a mean lasagna but stashes a box of Mac n' Cheese in her cupboard - for emergency purposes only, of course. Read More

Top Chef episodes may end with the phrase "Pack your knives and go," but the drama doesn't stop at the judges' table. Here, our blogger, Kristen Hawley, tells what she thinks of each show, gives the latest gossip on the "cheftestants," and shares other random ramblings.
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